ISLAY FESTIVAL 2009 – DIAGEO SPECIAL SINGLE MALT WHISKY BOTTLINGS ANNOUNCED
Submitted by: Cognis Public Relations
Tuesday, 05 May 2009

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To celebrate this year’s Islay Festival of Malt & Music on 23-30 May, Diageo is once again making available two special Festival editions of its Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. These very limited editions will be available only to personal shoppers, with a limit of one bottle per person.

The first-ever single cask bottling of Caol Ila™ by the Distillers is drawn from a European oak ex-sherry cask filled in December 1996, which has provided just 654 70cl bottles of 12 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The cask was hand-selected by Caol Ila distillery’s long-established manager, Billy Stitchell.

From Lagavulin™ comes a 14 year old expression of this famous Single Malt, from a European oak cask filled in 1995, and hand-picked from Warehouse No. 1 by Iain McArthur, long-standing warehouseman at Lagavulin distillery. This edition consists of 660 bottles.

Both editions are bottled at natural cask strength, and will be on sale at £69.99.

Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Scotch Knowledge and Heritage Director, said: “The Lagavulin single cask edition for the Feis Ile has been a great success in previous years, and we hope this one will bring just as much pleasure to Festival visitors. The Caol Ila bottling is a first for us: I’m sure devotees of this Whisky will find it an interesting and satisfying dram. Both are genuine bottlings made specifically for this year’s Festival and are priced very fairly, we think, to meet the pockets of the hard-pressed Whisky enthusiasts who may have travelled a very long way, and at considerable expense, on their pilgrimages to Islay”.

The Lagavulin Festival Edition will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at Lagavulin distillery during their open day on Saturday 23 May. The Caol Ila Festival Edition will go on sale at Caol Ila distillery during their open day on Monday 25 May.

ENDS

Pictures
Caol Ila distillery, Lagavulin distillery (inc. Iain McArthur), labels: contact Pat Roberts, cognis.pr@zen.co.uk or on +44 (0)7774 424 410
This press release was distributed via Response Source, a service from Daryl Willcox Publishing, on behalf of Cognis Public Relations. For more information visit http://www.dwpub.com/pressreleasewires

A lightening fast trip to Toronto this past weekend for the Spirit of Toronto hosted by Johanna Ngoh and Charles Anderson; nine hours of flying time, awake almost 24 hours on the first day and worth every minute of the trip. Not only was the selection of whiskies outstanding it was a spirited reunion with Mike Nicolson, Dave Broom, Regis “Whisky Mad” Lemaitre and Malt Maniacs Mark Gillespie, Nabil Maillox and Davin de Kergommeaux.

visit http://www.spiritoftoronto.ca/ for further details and book mark the Festival so you don’t miss out in 2010!

Yet another small distillery in the works, for details visit

http://www.abhainndearg.co.uk/

2009 BEST IN SHOW AWARDS March 6th, 2009

THE TASTING PANEL MAGAZINE DISTILLERY OF THE YEAR

THE GLENLIVET DISTILLERY – BANFFSHIRE, SCOTLAND

BEST IN SHOW – BROWN

Parker’s Heritage Collection Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Kentucky, USA ($200)

BEST RYE

Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve Rye, Kentucky, USA ($30)

BEST IRISH WHISKEY

Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Ireland ($40)

Importer: Diageo North America – Norwalk, CT

BEST OTHER WHISKY

Suntory Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky, 18 Year Old, Japan ($100)

Importer: Suntory Int’l Corp. – NY, NY

BEST BLENDED SCOTCH

Buchanan’s Special Reserve 18 Year Old Scotch, Scotland ($32)

Importer: Diageo North America – Norwalk, CT

BEST SINGLE MALT SCOTCH

Port Ellen 29 Year Old Single Malt Scotch, Islay, Scotland ($400)

Importer: Diageo North America – NY, NY

Further details can be found by visiting

http://www.sfspiritscomp.com/index.html

7th May 2009

 SIZE ISN’T EVERYTHING AS RARE DRAM GOES UNDER THE HAMMER

One of the world’s rarest whisky miniatures is set to be the star attraction at an auction of rare and collectable whisky in Glasgow on 13th May. 
The miniature of Springbank, which was distilled in 1919 and comes with a letter of authenticity, is expected to fetch around £1200 when it goes under the hammer at the McTears Homecoming auction, making it one of the most desirable drams in the world. 
“When it arrived at the auction house it was packaged in a light bulb box and I don’t think the owner quite appreciated the significance of the bottle,” explains McTears whisky specialist, Andrew Bell.  “When I opened it and saw the date I knew we had something special on our hands.
“There is no doubt that this is one of the rarest whisky miniatures ever to go to auction.  It is a fantastic example in its own right but having the letter of authenticity will give it an extra edge when it goes under the hammer.” 
In addition to the Springbank miniature, the 500 lots in the sale will include a host of extremely rare examples of Scotland’s liquid gold, and McTears estimate that the auction could generate sales in excess of £100k.
Some of the higher profile examples include a bottle of Highland Park reserve from 1902 which is expected to go for between £1800 and £2000 while a Laphroaig Reserve from 1903 could get a similar price.
Following on from its smaller, but rarer, sibling, a full bottle of 50 year old Springbank could fetch £2200.
“In these troubled financial times it is interesting to note the number of people who are investing in whisky,” added Andrew.  “We have seen a marked rise in the number of collectors buying rare single malts at auction and we would estimate that there were approximately £20 million worth of sales globally last year. 
“If you look at auction prices over the past few years the figures show a better return on investment than many other sectors.  I would say that investors are not interested in the bottom end of the market but are looking at the more expensive and potentially expensive bottles.”
All the big name distilleries will be represented in the auction with fine examples of The Macallan, The Dalmore, Talisker, Highland Park and Bowmore going under the hammer.  There will also be a selection of more obscure bottlings including a Bell’s Decanter to celebrate the Queen Mothers 90th birthday and a specially commissioned Scottish Parliament single malt decanter.
“There is no other product in the world which better encapsulates the essence of Scotland than whisky so it is fantastic to have such a fine collection of the water of life going to auction in the year of Homecoming,” added Andrew Bell.
“McTears has a reputation for selling some of the finest whiskies in the world and I am delighted to say that our Homecoming auction will keep that reputation intact.”
Anyone looking for more details on the auction or who would like advice on the sale, valuation or purchase of whisky, should log on to http://www.mctears.co.uk/ or contact Andrew Bell on 0141 810 2880.
The Homecoming Scotland Rare & Collectable Whisky Auction will take place at McTears Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, Meiklewood Gate, Glasgow on Wednesday 13th May at 10.30am. 

Ends

Issued on behalf of McTears Auctioneers by Wave PR.  For further information or photographs contact Chris Bell Tel: 0141 303 8390, Mobile: 07974 692 330.

Chris Bell, Director
Wave PR Ltd,141 St James Road
Glasgow, G4 0LT
www.wavepr.co.uk
T  0141-303-8390

Pure Shores PR
06/05/2009
Region : Argyll and the Islands

With its very first single malt being launched on 9th September this year, Kilchoman Distillery on the western isle of Islay is giving water of life connoisseurs an opportunity of a whisky lifetime.

 On the 28th May, Kilchoman Distillery will auction one bottle of the three year old malt out of the very first cask that was filled in December 2005. The limited edition bottle will have a unique design and will be the only one of its kind. It is set to be a dream come true for whisky collectors and fans of Kilchoman.
 
The auction takes place at Kilchoman Distillery’s Open Day on Thursday 28th May at 12.30pm, during Feis Ile, the Islay Festival of Malt & Music.  All proceeds of the auction will go to local Islay charities.
 
Anthony Wills, Founder & Managing Director of Kilchoman Distillery said: “We are looking forward to welcoming people from all over the world through the doors of Kilchoman Distillery during the festival. We have a very exciting year ahead, making history in the whisky industry and across the world.”
 
He added: “We are delighted to auction the limited edition bottle of our very first single malt to one lucky person. It is an excellent opportunity to take home a piece of Kilchoman History and we hope it will raise a considerable amount of money for local charities.”
 
The much anticipated single malt has been getting seals of approval from a very young age. The one month old Kilchoman spirit has received a remarkable score of 94 out of 100 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2008, rating it as a “superstar whisky that gives us all a reason to live!” In April 2009, the two year old spirit sold out on the first day of the Limburg Whisky Fair in Germany.
 
Kilchoman Distillery prides itself in taking whisky back to its roots and is the first distillery to be built on Islay for 124 years.  A visit to Kilchoman Distillery gives everyone the opportunity to see all that is best in the grass-roots traditions of malt whisky distilling – from barley to bottle. The distillery location, Rockside Farm is said to grow the best malting barley on the island.
 
Kilchoman Distillery is accepting telephone and email bids 30 minutes prior to the auction. Please telephone 01496 850011 or email anthony.wills@kilchomandistillery.com.   For more information on Kilchoman Distillery, announcements and events please visit www.kilchomandistillery.com.
…ends…
 
For more information please contact:
Pauline Foster
Pure Shores PR
01631 569 651
0779157 3247
pauline@pureshorespr.co.uk
 
Note to Editors:
 
Kilchoman Distillery at Rockside Farm is situated near the hamlet of Kilchoman on the west coast of Islay.   Feis Ile runs from 23rd to 31st May and is part of Homecoming Scotland 2009’s Whisky Month. www.homecomingscotland2009.com/whiskymonth. The Visitor Centre has an attractive shop and cosy café. Distillery tours can be arranged for groups of 8 or more. The centre is open Monday to Saturday (April to October) from 10.00am to 5.00pm.
 
Kilchoman Facts:
 
Kilchoman’s first single malt will be released on 9th September 2009.   Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland with an annual production of 90,000 litres of alcohol. Kilchoman is one of only six distilleries to carry out traditional floor maltings, but the key difference at Kilchoman is that the barley is grown on the farm at the distillery, whereas other distilleries purchase barley from around the country. 100 tonnes of malting barley is grown and malted at the distillery representing 30% of their annual production.   The balance of malt is purchased from the Port Ellen Maltings on the island. 80% of Kilchoman’s annual production is filled into a combination of fresh bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery, Kentucky and refill casks and 20% into fresh oloroso sherry butts.

Contact: Pure Shores PR
Phone: 01631 569 651
Email: pauline@pureshorespr.co.uk
Website: http://www.kilchomandistillery.com

By Tom Marquardt & Patrick Darr (San Marcos Daily Record) http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/

Making whisky on Scotland’s Isle of Arran is not a new activity.

Scotland’s purest water from the Loch na Davie, and the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream that speeds maturation of the barreled whisky have created an environment that favors the production of high quality single malt scotch.

But the opening of the Arran distillery in 1995 marked the first time since 1837 that the whisky produced on the island was legal, and with the full approval of the local government.

The Arran Malt is a small, craft distiller of about 150,000 liters per year and conforms to the three rules of producing single malt scotch: use only Scottish malted barley, distill twice in copper pot stills and in one distillery, and age the whisky in oak casks in Scotland for 3 years.

Unlike some other single malt scotch producers, Arran doesn’t dry the malted barley over a peat fire but instead uses heated dry air. The result is a non-smoky tasting spirit that is clean and fruity on the palate.

We recently met with Euan Mitchell, managing director of The Arran Malt, and learned first-hand about the colorful legal and illegal history of distilling on the Island of Arran, and had a chance to taste their efforts. Euan shared with us that Arran does not add any caramel color to their whisky and also doesn’t chill-filter their product in the belief that like fine wine filtering can strip some of the flavor from the beverage.

We also learned an invaluable tip for tasting single malt scotch, especially those in the 90-plus proof categories. Mix chilled pure water with the whisky in a brandy snifter style glass at about a 10:1 ratio of whisky to water. Don’t use ice cubes since they will chill the scotch to a point where some of the flavors and nose are muted.

We found that the small addition of a bit of water took the alcoholic fire out of the nose and smoothed out the whisky in the mouth, without diluting the bouquet or flavors. Tasting the whisky we were impressed with the clean, fruity flavors and complex impression on the senses.

The Arran Malt 10-year-old 46 percent alcohol (92 proof, $49) is aged in used American oak bourbon barrels and exhibited a lovely fruity rich round nose with a hint of grain. Creamy and fruity in the mouth this whisky is a good introduction to the Arran single malts. We also tasted two premium single cask aged single malts, that were delightful. The Arran Malt Single Bourbon Cask 50.5 percent alcohol (101 proof, $79) was selected for bottling from as single cask with the date of distillation and cask number printed on the individual bottle.

A terrific single malt with a wonderful fruity nose, and hints of vanilla and almonds in the mouth. The Arran Malt Single Sherry Cask 58.5 percent alcohol (117 proof, $79) definitely needs the water treatment to calm it down.

Once diluted a hint of sherry nuttiness and richness develops with some chocolate and citrus notes. Delicious!

Chivas Brothers
06/05/2009
Region : All

The Glenlivet Nàdurra, the 16 Year Old non-chill filtered expression from The Glenlivet, has been selected as the best 13 to 20 Year Old Single Malt Whisky at the annual Spirit of Speyside Festival for the second year running. The award is the latest in a series of medals already won by The Glenlivet range this year.
 
As the brand that defined the Speyside style of whisky, The Glenlivet has enjoyed spectacular success in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards, winning a category award every year since the creation of the awards in 2005. Known as ‘the single malt that started it all’, The Glenlivet boasted the first licensed distillery in Glenlivet in 1824.
 
Neil Macdonald, Brand Director for malts at Chivas Brothers, comments: “Whilst we have enjoyed great success at all the major international awards, it is especially gratifying to win at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards as the region is the home of The Glenlivet. The fact that the awards are decided by whisky lovers who travel from all over the world to the Festival is testament to the enduring popularity of the single malt that started it all.”
 
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Award winners were voted for by visitors to the 10th annual Spirit of Speyside Festival based on a shortlist selected from more than 40 Speyside whiskies by a panel of leading whisky experts and members of the Scottish Parliament.
 
Introduced at the 2005 Festival with the support of Whisky Magazine, the
Spirit of Speyside Awards have developed into a prestigious feature of the Spirit of Speyside Festival over the last three years. Celebrating its 10th anniversary and the Year of Homecoming, this year’s Festival is the most successful to date with a record number of whisky enthusiasts coming to the region.
 
The Glenlivet Nàdurra (Gaelic for ‘natural’) 16 Year Old single malt is non-chill filtered and is a smooth and fruity Speyside single malt with a softly rich, floral aroma combined with added richness and creaminess devolved from maturation in first-fill ex bourbon casks.
 
– ends –
 
Note to editors:
The Glenlivet Nàdurra was named Best 13 – 20 Year Old Single Malt whisky at the 2009 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards.
 
Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits.  Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky with a portfolio that includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.
 
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is one of Europe’s largest whisky festivals. Speyside lies between Inverness to the west and Aberdeen to the east and is home to over 50 distilleries. With almost 400 events, the Festival programme capitalises on its location at the heart of Scotland’s whisky country, the area’s culture and heritage, outdoor activities, food and drink and landscape.
 
Photography
Download the latest print quality photography from Chivas Brothers, free of charge, from Chivas Brothers’ Online Image Library by logging on as follows:
1.                  Click onto www.scotchnet.com
2.                  Type in the user name/login – pernodricard
3.                  Type in the password – drink
4.                  Browse the thumbnail images. To download, select image and follow the   instructions
 
Image shows Hamish Proctor, Operations Manager for The Glenlivet (left) and Gavin Hewitt, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association (right)
 
For further information or images:
Kaye Rawlings/Jo Dalley                                                        Lynn Bannatyne
Richmond Towers Communications                                     Chivas Brothers
26 Fitzroy Square                                                                 
London W1T 6BT                                                                 
Telephone: 020 7388 7421                                                   
Email: kaye@rt-com.com
            
Contact: Kaye Rawlings
Phone: 0207 388 7421
Email: Kaye@rt-com.com

It’s an exporting coup for the Larbert-based BenRiach Distillery Company.

Formerly part of USSR but now independent, Kazakhstan is one of the new but unexpected export markets identified by BenRiach that’s ripe for development.

The republic, the most economically advanced of the “stans”, is in Central Asia, to the south of Russia and extending east from the Caspian Sea to the Altai mountains.

It’s largely known, not for whisky consumption, but for launching rockets, its oil and the antics of the pseudo-Kazakh Borat Sagdiyev created by Sacha Baron Cohen.

In the new consignment, worth some £60,000, are malts ranging from twelve to forty years.

Billy Walker, the industry veteran and MD of The BenRiach Distillery Company, explained: “Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth-biggest country, appeared on our radar because it’s a commodity-rich country with a secular government and a population of some twenty million amongst whom is a significant percentage of wealthy citizens.

“They’re interested in both the standard range and our de-luxe items. In addition, it acts as a distribution hub for its neighbours Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kurgyzstan and Tajikistan.

“Parts of the country have an almost European feel with smart hotels, chic boutiques and lots of BMWs and Mercedes.

“We’ve found there’s a strong but relatively unstructured independent retail presence. Wholesale is developing, mainly in Almaty and Astana, and we have an excellent importer in MPCC Aldi Ltda – incidentally there’s no relationship with the supermarket of the same name.”

The first order was for 500 cases and three months ago BenRiach arranged a formal launch of its offerings in the old capital Almaty.

“They liked the first batch so much they wanted more,” said Billy. “When you consider the growing number of clubs and restaurants and both young and old people with increasing disposable income you start to see the potential and why it and other former Soviet states become very interesting territories for us.”
May 6, 2009   INFORMATION – Billy Walker, 01324 682220

(60.6%, Dewar Rattray, Sherry, C#2466, 188 Bottles)

A bottling for Liquor Barn & Liquor Depot in the Province of Alberta, Canada (the remainder of the cask was bottled at 25yo and distributed in Europe). On the nose we have buttered peat smoke, coal smoke, sweet light sherry notes in the back ground, bonfires on the beach and hints of gauze. Very nice. The taste is much like the new 5yo Octomore but much smoother despite the similar A.B.V level; pepper, lime, plasticine, peat smoke heavily layered, very strong and one dimensional. The sherry is essentially buried beneath the peat smoke, coconut matting in the back ground. The first mouthful brings smoke and juniper mingled together, gin qualities abound. The finish is like wet matting with a curious back ground of shrimp crisps (very maritime!), cereals, smoke and creosote with little evidence of the promised sherry. No loss, sometimes a peat monster is enough. Quite long, warming.

A very nice Port Ellen.

Priced at C$225

Score: 83 Points